Sicily is a land apart .Divided from the main land by the dangerous Straits of Messina, its roots are more Afro -Moorish. The art of kidnapping ransom and mafia rules. The Greek legacy shines through sporadically. Industrialization has blighted it with a restless energy that has not been properly channel zed. But along with the modernization, you can feel a great reverence for the past - in a world view that is looking at the modern world through old eyes. Horses with plumes and bells lugging painted carts, miles of verdant vineyards, citrus groves, almond and cherry trees make for a pretty picture. Greek temples ancient theaters, exquisite architecture et al complete an already heady journey into the past.
Sicily is replete with plethora of the cathedrals museums ruins etc.
Cathedrals
Chiesa di Santa Cita becomes the focal point for its enchanting oratory. It is lavishly baroque and the stucco designs remain unparalleled. Gambol with its cherubs and angels. The Arab Norman art reaches dizzying heights at the Monreal Duomo. The inimitable mosaics in the interior compels you to compare it with the better-known Capella Palatina - and favorably.
Museums
Galleria Regionale della Sicilia The collection at the Catalan -Gothic Palazzo Abatellis is a superb walkthrough the Sicilian paintings' history and sculpture from 13th to 18th century. The "Triumph of Death" makes your day- and your visit worthwhile. Museo archaeological Regionale is remarkable for its British museum that displays a collection of artifacts from Greek and roman colonization of the island. The Metopes once buried deep in the city of Selinunte fill you with wonder. Museo Mandralisca: Messina's "Portrait of an Unknown Man" and leaves you agape .The other art treasures well worth looking at are the Chinese puzzle in ivory and a vase from the 4th century BC . Museco Civico Beliniano. A complete "museum full" of tribute to the composer Belini is piled with memorabilia, original folios of his opera , his death mask and even the coffin in which his body traveled from Paris. Belino's fans would certainly be well rewarded.
Ruins
The region' s ruins reflect its Hellenic and Moorish legacy. Tyndaris: once a bustling city, it is being excavated and pieced together. The basilica and roman theatre are breathtaking but perhaps the scintillating view of the sea attracts you even more. Teatro Greco :With Mount Etna in the background, this Greek amphitheatre was carved out of Mount Tauroo. The remnants have survived the Moorish dance of destruction.
Ortygia islands( Syracuse)
Part of Greek mythology, it still springs up such surprises at Tempo Di Apollo. The Apollonian temple it is the world's oldest peripeteral (single row of column) Doric temple.